The Best Eggplant Parmesan/Lasagna

Eggplant Parmesan/Lasagna I could not resist stopping at the local farm stand one last time to get some fresh produce! And I just had to share it with every person because it is just too good. Yummy! Eggplant is so yummy if it is as a matter of fact fresh.

Many recipes propose soaking the cut up eggplant in salt prior to cooking to cut the bitterness but I find that it is much too salty for me and if it is as a matter of fact not bitter at all if it is truly fresh. So, the best thing to do is get the freshest eggplant possible! Remember "Fresh is Best."

Bowl Mixing

This recipe is not for the faint of heart cooks who just want some "instant gratification." It makes one heck of a mess and takes some time to make but I can assure you it Will be worth it!

The Best Eggplant Parmesan/Lasagna

Here are the ingredients:

• 2 medium fresh eggplants Italian bread crumbs
• Eggs (beaten)
• Flour
• Canola oil for frying, enough to cover a large skillet to about one inch deep. (for a healthier version put a petite oil on a baking sheet and bake them in a hot oven preheated to 400 degrees for 10 mins per side)
• Grated mozzarella Ricotta Cheese (I use half regular and half part skim and mix them together)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (the finely grated kind)
• Italian Tomato Sauce

Cut the eggplant into ½ inch slices Put the flour, eggs and bread crumbs into three cut off flat bowls

There are two ways you can charge this, one is to "multi-task" like I do and heat the oil and start frying the slices while you are simultaneously coating them in flour, egg and bread crumbs.

Or, alternatively you can wait until you have them all coated and ready to fry so you can just combine on one thing at a time (I propose the latter if this is your first time).

Coat each slice of eggplant with the flour then coat with beaten eggs, then coat with bread crumbs. Tip: I use a fork when coating with the eggs then plop it into the bread crumb bowl. I then use my fingers to pick up some of the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top to make sure it coats it all. Then I place each slice on a baking sheet to wait to be fried. Once you have coated all the slices you can heat the oil to medium/high. It should be hot enough to sizzle when you put a slice in but you will have to be true that it doesn't get too hot and burn them.

Usually I turn it down just a petite once I start frying them but retention it still hot enough to sizzle and brown them. You'll get the hang of it once you start doing it. Just check them once in a while to make sure they aren't getting too dark and you'll be fine.

I have to warn you that the "eggplant gremlins" will find them while you are doing all this frying and you may only end up with 2/3 or even ½ of what you started with because they are pretty darned tasty just in their fried state!

Next comes the assembly: In a 9 X 13 pan or something similar to that size will work. Layer all in this order:

• Tomato sauce first on the bottom of the pan
• thin layer Eggplant (enough to cover the pan as well as you can.
• Ricotta cheese (spoon it on top of each eggplant slice) Sauce
• Mozzarella (sprinkle over the top of everything)
• Grated Parmesan (sprinkle over the top of everything) Eggplant Ricotta Sauce Mozzarella Grated Parmesan

Keep layering until you fill the pan (leave just a petite room on top so it doesn't bubble over and burn the bottom of the oven) all the time end with the mozzarella and Parmesan on top

Bake in 350º oven for about 40-45 mins. Remove from oven and let it rest 5 or 10 mins. Before you start to serve (it's less likely to be runny if you let it rest a few mins.) Serve with some nice crusty artisan bread or garlic bread The bread is best if you warm it up a few minutes in a hot oven 400º for about 10 mins. Prior to serving. This brings back the nice crust and it is still moist and tender inside.

The Best Eggplant Parmesan/Lasagna

How To Make Paper Mache Bowls

I love to make ornamental paper mache bowls from newspaper and use tissue paper as the top layers. I know that a lot of people turn this paper mache process into a big and involved project by development paper mache pulp in their blenders. My motto is keep it uncomplicated and my results have been very satisfying.

First, I choose a bowl with the form I love. I have a big porcelain salad bowl that I'm especially fond of. O.K., the bowl is picked for the form.

Bowl Mixing

Turn it upside down and 'grease' it with petroleum jelly or whatever (even Crisco) to keep the paper from sticking to the bowl. It's a good idea to place it on a board or tray to catch drips and also to make it movable as the paper mache bowl needs to dry thoroughly. Tear newspaper into small pieces. You are going to need lots of paper pieces to unblemished this paper mache bowl. I have used wallpaper paste to adhere the paper to the form. The dry wallpaper paste is easy and cheap because a tablespoon of paste makes alot of glue after it is mixed with water.

How To Make Paper Mache Bowls

ModgePodge thinned out with water works very well I have also used Elmers glue thinned with water. All we are doing here is bonding the wet paper together and smoothing it with the paint brush. Cover the greased form with the newspaper bits one at a time adhering them with the 'glue'. Use a small paint brush to apply the glue or paste.

After the first layer is complete, go on to the second layer and then the third, etc. After a few layers, let the paper mache bowl dry before adding more layers of paper to the paper mache bowl. The more layers you add, the more immense the bowl will be. Let the bowl dry completely. I let it dry for several days. Take it off the form.

When the paper mache bowl is completed, you have a incorporate of options:

Paint it inside and out, to complement your decor or add a few layers of tissue paper. Acrylic paint is available in small bottles and works very well on paper. Let your imagination guide you to a masterpiece! I like to use three colors and white tissue, also torn into small pieces, and layered until the newspaper does not show through. The different colors randomly layered, form new colors and shades. Pay concentration to the rim of the bowl so it is neat...fold the pieces of tissue over the rim to make a flat edge.

Hint: save all that tissue paper you receive in gift bags. Use tissue scraps to cover boxes or whatever else that catches your fancy.

As a final step, spray the paper mache bowl with a sealer. There are many spray sealers available in craft stores and even Walm art. development paper mache bowls is a great way to recycle some of the some of the paper that accumulates in our homes. You can use paper mache bowls as the basket for a gift basket, a fruit bowl or to hold potpourri....

I found this gallery of paper mache projects you might enjoy..

How To Make Paper Mache Bowls